Seeking Opinions On An I-15bis Profile

[Old Man]

I found this recently:

http://basilzolotov.com/side-views/polikarpov-i-15bis/

Has anyone seen a photograph it could be based on?

Is there any reason to take the ascription to 55th I.A.P. seriously?

If there is, does anyone know where the unit might have been based, or what command it came under, in the period?

I am looking for an I-15bis subject from before the G.R.W., not involved in Finland or Nomonhan, and in first line service rather than training or ground attack, in standard finish. I have decals that can reproduce this white outlined red two, hence my curiousity....

[Massimo Tessitori]

Hi,
the only thing I've found till now is relative to 55 IAP in the first day of war.
http://forum.aviaskins.com/showthread.php?t=3677
The use of I-15bis before the war is undoubted; prewar I-15bis differed each other for few more than the number on the tail.
I'm sorry to have not found more. You can try to google with ' 55 IAP' translitterated into Russian.
Regards
Massimo

[Old Man]

Thanks for that, Sir.

Poking about with that as a foundation puts the unit in the Odessa Military District, and that it was not one of the units transferred from Ukrainian Front units involved in Poland in '39. I think I am safe in taking the unit as present there, and not in Finland, in the indicated time.

Came on a couple of things looking you might find interesting (or which might be coals to Newcastle, as I am relatively new to this):

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=173675

scroll down a bit and there is an OB for aerial units in the invasion of Poland in '39

http://www.mission4today.com/index.php?name=ForumsPro&file=viewtopic&t=14430&printertopic=1&start=0&finish=-1

a great many pictures here; some I have seen on your site, but there are some I-16 pictures that seem new, at least to me

[Massimo Tessitori]

There are a lot of beautiful photos with a relatively high resolution. Just the type of Photos that Misos could need for his colorizing works. Thank you for the link.
Regards
Massimo

[Old Man]

Glad to have actually found something you might have use for, Sir.

This one is my favorite:



Has to be some kind of a story behind this....

[learstang]

Hello, OM! Nice to see you on this site! That I-16 photographs is interesting for the forward placement of the bort (aircraft number).

Regards,

Jason